There are 470 million guns in the United States and the number continues to rise.

March looked to be an unprecedented sales boom for U.S. gun retailers, according to The National Interest.

The total number of checks conducted by the National Instant Background Check System (NICS) in March 2021, set an all-time record for the month, almost reaching 4.7 million.

This surpassed the record of more than 4.3 million checks set in January. December 2020 is now the third highest month with a total of 3.94 million checks.

It should be noted that these numbers do reflect the expanded use of the NICS system, not only for firearm sales, but also for carry permit and carry permit rechecks. It should be noted that this number is still a significant jump from the NICS checks conducted a year ago.

However, according to the shooting sports news site AmmoLand.com, sales may have actually declined.

This has led to some confusion because, as mentioned, background checks do not equal one-for-one gun sales. According to the data in the report, only close to 2 million guns, mostly handguns, were sold, according to estimates from records in the NICS system, slightly more than 1.1 million.

While overall sales may be down about 20% from March 2020, it is still the second highest March for gun sales compared to history.

It should be noted that the National Shooting Sports Federation (NSSF), which also tracks sales, actually focuses only on sales of “new” firearms. These figures do not compare the number of guns that change hands through private sales at gun shows and indirect person-to-person sales.

It is also a fact that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), has certified 25 states to use various permits in lieu of NICS checks, which are required for permits. Currently, approximately seven million Americans have these permits that can be used in lieu of a traditional check. Gun sales made by permit holders are not included in the overall NICS gun sales figures.

Therefore, it is impossible to know exactly how many guns may have changed hands in March.

But it is absolutely certain that there are still at least 2 million guns in private hands, plus the more than 470 million guns already in the nation’s possession. Even if sales slowed slightly in March, there’s no reason to believe that 2021 won’t be another strong year for overall gun sales.